A. This is the
house of Arthur Mitchell (played by John Lithgow), the "Trinity
Killer".

We
first saw the house at the end of Episode 5 of Season 4 ("Dirty Harry"),
when Dexter followed the Trinity Killer home for the first time, and
was shocked to discover that he was a family man with a wife & children.

We saw more
of the house in the next episode (6, "If I Had a Hammer"),
when Dexter wormed his way into Trinity's good graces (by joining his church)
and then got inside his home, where he looked for clues.

While inside,
Dexter freaked-out Arthur by handling the urn containing the ashes of Arthur's
cremated sister.

The
house played a big role in Episode 9 ("Hungry Man"), when observed
Arthur's teenage son, Jacob, leave the house after an angry argument and
then smash up his dad's car.

Dexter came
back to the Mitchell house for Thanksgiving dinner, to help protect Jacob
from retribution.

While at the
dinner table, he observed Arthur's psychotic behavior towards his own family,
which climaxed when Arthur's son exploded with anger, Arthur responded
by attacking him, and Dexter wound up almost killing Arthur (before family
members intervened).

And in the final
episode, after Trinity knows that his cover has been blown, he returns
briefly to the home to demand money from his family, before disappearing.
The police then show up and smash down the front door in a SWAT raid,
hoping to find Arthur - but he's gone.

Outside the
house, Debra tells Dexter that she has found out about his birth mother
- and about his brother being the Ice Truck Killer. She also tells him
he's been a positive force in her life, making him reconsider his role
in the world.

Q.
What is it actually in real life?

A. A residential
home. But nowhere near Miami.

Q.
Where can I find it in real life?

A. The house
is at 4119 Locust Ave, in
northwest Long Beach, CA.

That's on the
west side of the street, just five houses south of San Antonio Drive.

It's just two
houses to the north of another 4th Season location: the neighborhood
vandal's home. The block was also
used for those Neighborhood Watch
scenes where a masked Dexter was chased by a mob of neighbors (who mistook
him for the vandal).

In the previous
Season Three, Locust Ave contained Maria
LaGuerta's house (on the same side of the street). And just a
block to the south, in the same general neighborhood, you can find Miguel Prado's
house, the crime scene house of the grieving fiance, and a white house
that Syl Prado & Rita were trying to sell. And just a couple
of blocks to the east, you'll find the giant donut
where Debra watched Ramon Prado kidnap a suspect, and the cafe
where she spied on Ramon while he ate.

It's also less
than a mile northwest of two other 4th Season locations: the hardware store
where Trinity buys the hammer he uses to kill a man, and the breakfast cafe
where Trinity forces a waitress to re-cook his omelet.

I
shot the photos below in November 2009.

[
Warning: This is a private home. Do not trespass
on their property, knock on their door,
or do anything else that might disturb the residents. ]

A. Before
the season began, I got a tip from a fan, Susan
Loomis, who told me they were filming a lot this season in her
part of Long Beach, including at a home at 4119 Locust. So I took a look
at the house (via Google StreetView), then kept an eye out for it once
the new episodes started airing.

Naturally, when
it showed in Episode 6 up as the Trinity Killer's house, I recognized
it. Thanks Suz!